Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, winner of the reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother" that saw her at the centre of a racism row in Britain, almost stumbled and slipped in her high heels when she met Queen Elizabeth at a service marking Commonwealth Day Monday.

"I nearly slipped," Shilpa said after the event at the Westminster Abbey. The Duke of Edinburgh told the Indian actress, "Look, be careful with your heels."

"The Queen just had a beautiful smile," said Shilpa, who almost stumbled on the metal grate in her high wooden heels.

Dressed in a purple velvet sherwani designed especially for the occasion, the 31-year-old actress was one of the five speakers at the event, according to the Daily Mail.

The multi-faith event was attended by over 2,000 people, including the Commonwealth secretary-general, foreign dignitaries and about 1,000 young people from Britain.

The ceremony is an annual event to mark Commonwealth Day, which is always celebrated on the second Monday in March.